Well, they didn't want started by the firsts nor one of the last letters of the alphabet, because they didn't want me to be the first or the last in my class (here we are ordered by our 1st name, not our surname). A J-name was perfect, then. They didn't knew any Joanas (only an acquaintance...). Too bad is was actually the #3 (or so) most popular name at the moment in my country - is the only thing I don't like about my name

My grandfaher is Leo, hence my mom's middle name is Lea. they both liked Lea and went with that spelling since it is my mom's middle name, and im happy they did since i honestly hate the h on Leah, Lea makes me feel all exotic Elizabeth is great grandmother, who i aparently look exactly like.

The other names my parents were considering were Zoe, Amanda and Jillian. All were established names, but then they decided they wanted to use a family name. How they got from Amanda, a name that reeks '90s kid, to Reine, a name that barely even made the extended list in 1998 (four other girls besides me were given my name), is beyond me. Reine was my paternal grandmother's maiden name, though it was spelled with the accent on the 'e'. Rebecca, my middle, comes from my aunt.

I've only talked to my mom about this, but she really didn't think it through all the options.

Me: Who else could you have named me after?
Mom: I always loved my Aunt Alice. She was a nurse that lived during the Depression. She took four teenaged girls off the street, gave them a place to live and helped them through nursing school. But the name's too old lady.
Me: What about Alicia? Or better yet, Adelaide? Or Heidi, or Alida?

Mom: My grandmother was amazing. But her name... I could never have a Florence, who would be a Flo.
Me: I would have gone by Flora. Or Ren.
Mom: That's pretty... But Florence by itself is very old lady... A bit too much.
Me: What about Fiorella or Florentina?
Mom: We only had name books, not websites and forums.

My mom also says that she would have pushed hard for Elizabeth if she knew the meaning. I could be a Libby...

The better story comes from my brother. They chose to keep the gender a surprise, and the only girls' name they could agree on was Haley. There was a small problem, though. My name is pronounced Rainey. Rain-y and Hail-y. Thank goodness he came as my little brother!

My dad liked the name Beth, but my mom didn't like it as a first name, so they stuck it in the middle name spot. Then my dad suggested Harley and that was the plan for a really long time until my mom found out about the motorcycle. So they sat down with a big book of baby names to find the name of a girl my dad had never dated.
Thus, AmandaBeth was born!